On Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, nearly 1,200 walkers and runners, plus hundreds of volunteers, joined together to participate in the 11th Annual Race Against PH on the Stanford University Campus in Palo Alto, Calif. This event served as an important way to raise PH awareness on the West Coast, and this year, PHA partnered with the Race Against PH to debut our newest awareness-raising campaign, the Six-Minute Marathon (6MM).

Based on the six-minute walk test, a common metric used to evaluate the well-being of PH patients, the 6MM acts as an easy-to-understand activity to raise public awareness of PH. By running or walking the Race Against PH course, each race participant also completed his or her own timed 6MM within the longer 5K route. The Race Against PH organizers opted to make their 6MM 400 meters in length, one possible distance that a PH patient might cover during a six-minute walk test.

After the race, participants visited PHA’s tent to receive a commemorative 6MM T-shirt (supported by Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.) and race certificate, and to stock up on PH awareness materials. Patient and caregiver volunteers at PHA’s tent generously gave their time in order to educate others about what it is like to be affected by PH.

Thanks to the Race Against PH, PHA was able to launch our newest national campaign on the right foot! In 2012, let’s grow the 6MM — these simple events can be hosted coast-to-coast in a variety of settings such as schools, hospital grounds, community centers and local outdoor tracks. You can even incorporate a 6MM into an existing special event, like Race Against PH did. Read more information about creating a 6MM event

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